A gunman killed himself after he fired into a Minneapolis catholic school’s church and killed at least two children aged eight and 10.
The still-unidentified shooter shot through stained glass windows as he unleashed the attack on the children sitting on the pews at Annunciation Catholic School’s church at about 8.30am local time.
Police said he was in his early 20s and has no known criminal history. Officials are looking into his motive.
He was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol – and fired all three weapons, police said.
At least 17 people were injured in the tragic incident, police said in a press conference.
A total of 14 children, aged between six and 14, are being treated at hospitals, and two of the students are in critical condition, per officials.
It’s unclear if the shooter went inside the church or conducted the entire massacre from outside the building.
‘The coward who fired these shots ultimately took his own life in the rear of the church,’ said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who added that the gunman acted in a ‘deliberate act of violence.’
‘This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,’ said the police chief, who noted that a wooden plank was placed to barricade some of the side doors.
Police said the gunman parked his vehicle near the school and they will be investigating it as part of their probe.
The gunman fired ’50 to 100 shots’ as students and staff were sat in pews and ‘killed two kids,’ a heartbroken parent who attended the mass told The Star Tribune.
The students at the Catholic grade school has started school on Monday and were attending mass when the shooter stormed the church, which is connected to the school.
The catholic school teaches students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Senator Amy Klobuchar told MSNBC a seven-year-old watched as the gunman shot her friends in the back and neck.
‘These kids are doing an all-school Mass and had to watch several of her friends get shot — one in the back, one in the neck,’ Klobuchar said. ‘And they all got down under the pews.’
Harrowing images showed terrified parents outside the church as they waited for news of their children.
The school was evacuated, and students’ families later were directed to a ‘reunification zone’ at the school. Outside, amid a heavy uniformed law enforcement presence, were uniformed children in their dark green shirts or dresses. Many were trickling out of the school with adults, giving lingering hugs and wiping away tears
President Donald Trump has been ‘fully briefed on the tragic shooting’ and says the White House will ‘continue to monitor this terrible situation’.
Governor Tim Walz added: ‘I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information.’
‘The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.’
‘I’m monitoring reports of horrific violence in South Minneapolis. I’m in touch with Chief O’Hara and our emergency response team has been activated,’ Mayor Jacob Frey said.
‘We will share more information as soon as we can. Please give our officers the space they need to respond to the situation.’
Dating to 1923, the pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school had an all-school Mass scheduled at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to its website. Monday was the first day of school.
Recent social media posts from the school show children smiling at a back-to-school event, holding up summer art projects, playing together and enjoying ice pops.
Seven people were shot, one fatally, in a separate mass shooting near a Catholic high school in south Minneapolis yesterday reported Kare11.
Police said the suspect, who escaped in a vehicle and does not appear to have been arrested since, fired around 30 rounds from a high-velocity .223 rifle.
Authorities have not confirmed any connection between the shootings.
